This Photo a Day Challenge is a fun activity to start in the new year with the whole family.

Print out the checklist of daily photo ideas and start a new tradition!

Whether you take photos with your phone or a handheld camera (or both like me) this challenge is a fun activity to do throughout the year! 

Simply print out a checklist page to mark off your daily photo idea. Each page has 2 months of ideas listed!

Day 1 : Morning Light

Day 2 : Something New

My daughter Ava is doing the challenge with me and her photo of “Something New” is a 3D Printed Elf she made. 

Print the checklists here!

Print the Cover here.

Print Page 1 here.

Print Page 2 here.

Print Page 3 here.

Print Page 4 here. 

Print Page 5 here. 

Print Page 6 here. 

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Happy Earth Day!

Here’s a great way to reuse and upcycle something that would normally be trash! I used broken pieces of Ava and Stella’s crayons and melted them in a silicone tray.

We tried flower shapes first then we made alphabet letters to spell out words and our names.

Not only is this Earth Day inspired craft easy to make but the colorful crayon shapes turn out so pretty and unique. They make fun gifts or party favors too.

With the cool spring weather and sunny days, this was the perfect weekend craft for us to do as a family on the patio!

What you need:

50 or more broken and old crayons in a variety of colors

alphabet letter silicone mold (order via Amazon here)

bowl of warm water, optional

Directions:

1. Start by sorting through your containers of old and broken crayons. We counted out about 50 to fill one full alphabet mold. 

2. Now remove the paper wrappers from all the crayons. We like to soak ours in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes so they come off easier. 

3. Once all the paper is removed make sure to completely dry off the crayons. 

4. Now add to the molds, breaking into smaller pieces and combining multiple colors for each letter. 

5. Fill each letter completely will crayon pieces.

6. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

7. Add the filled mold to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

8. Bake for 15 minutes until crayons are  fully melted and molds are filled.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing (or they will crack). We waited at least 30 minutes. 

10. Carefully pop out and remove the letters from the mold onto a lined tray.

11. Repeat with remaining crayons if you want additional letters to spell certain names and words.

We did extra vowels and “L”, “D”, and “M” so we had enough to spell Mom, Dad, and the girls’ names. 

12. Now you can spell names and wrap up as gifts or simply upcycle and reuse for your own at home coloring projects!

Stella started by gathering her broken and old crayons. We separated about 50 to start. 

Make sure you gather a variety of bright colors.

Now remove the paper wrappers from all the crayons.

We like to soak ours in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes so they come off easier. 

Once all the paper is removed make sure to completely dry off the crayons. 

I ordered this silicone alphabet mold off Amazon. It works perfectly and I love the style and size of the letters.

Here is my Amazon link if you would like to order one: https://amzn.to/3xYwkgc .

Now add to the molds, breaking into smaller pieces and combining multiple colors for each letter. 

Fill each letter completely will crayon pieces.

Add the filled mold to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes until crayons are fully melted and molds are filled.

Remove carefully from the oven and let cool completely ( about 30 minutes).

You can also place in the fridge to speed up cooling.

Carefully pop out and remove the letters from the mold onto a lined tray.

Look how colorful and pretty they turned out!

Repeat with remaining crayons if you want additional letters to spell certain names and words.

We did extra vowels and “L”, “D”, and “M” so we had enough to spell Mom, Dad, and the girls’ names. 

Now you can spell names and wrap up as gifts or simply upcycle and reuse for your own at home coloring projects!

I have also made these crayons in flower and heart shapes.

These were smaller and worked well for my toddler at the time. The molds are from IKEA.

Happy Earth Day!

“May we all be inspired by the beauty of our planet and take action to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.” – unknown

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The total solar eclipse is happening on April 8th!

This spectacular space roundup features over 30 themed recipes and craft ideas to help you host an epic eclipse viewing party this month!

Scroll down to check it out.

1. Easy Earth Moon Sun Paper Craft for Kids – Two Kids and a Coupon

2. Galaxy Popcorn – Mama Cheaps

3. Printable Eclipse Color Code Worksheets – The Artisan Life

4. Galaxy Bark – Family Around the Table

5. Eclipse Snack Box – For the Love of Food

6. Galaxy Candy Charcuterie Board – Cutefetti

7. Galaxy Cupcakes – Rainy Day Mum

8. Galaxy Donuts – Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks

9. Solar Eclipse Bento Box – Raising Whasians

10. FREE Printable Outer Space Party Decoration – Play Party Plan

11. Sunshine Cookies – For the Love of Food

12. Space Cake – Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks

13. Astronaut Puppet Printable – Red Ted Art

14. Easy Fruit and Marshmallow Space Rocket Snack – Mama Cheaps

15. Galaxy Star Cookies – My Kids Lick the Bowl

16. Man on the Moon (Pie) Space Snacks + Printable Astronauts – Mama Cheaps

17. No-Churn Galaxy Ice Cream – A Magical Mess

18. Total Eclipse Half Moon Cookies – For the Love of Food

19. Free Printable Solar Eclipse Dot Marker Coloring Pages – The Artisan Life

20. Sun Bread – Savory Moments Blog

21. Solar Eclipse Party Creamy Beef Queso Dip – For the Love of Food

22. Total Solar Eclipse Tostadas – Alison’s Allspice

23. 10 Minute Light Up Galaxy in a Jar – Cutefetti

24. Easy No Bake Eclipse Cookies – Craft Create Cook

25. Galaxy Fruit Dip – Little Cooks Reading Books

26. DIY Solar Eclipse Glow-in-the-Dark T Shirt – Homeschool Super Freak

27. Agate, Geode and Rock Cupcake Toppers – Ever After in the Woods

28. Out of This World Space Snack Tray – For the Love of Food

29. Solar Eclipse Connect the Dots Free Printables – The Artisan Life

30. Homemade Moon Pies – Family Around the Table

31. Oreo Moon Phases – The Best Ideas for Kids

32. Moon and Sun Party Tray – The Gifted Gabber

33. Galaxy Handprint Spritzer Art – The Soccer Mom Blog

34. “You Are My Sunshine” Paper Plate Craft – The Soccer Mom Blog

35. Printable Solar Eclipse Bingo – The Artisan Life 

36. Rocket Cake for a Space Party – Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks

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It’s Christmas movie night and tonight we are showing Home Alone!

To make it more fun (is that even possible?!), I provided props and an interactive script so everyone watching can Scream, Dance, and Snack along with the classic scenes from the movie!

This fun printable game is a great way for everyone, young and old, to participate in movie night! All props are easy to find and your Home Alone screening will be a blast! 

The simple props you need are gold chocolate coins, candy canes, pizza flavored goldfish crackers, gummy candy worms or spiders, and toy balls or craft fluff balls.

Follow along with the 13 prompts during the movie!

Stella loved eating a bite of a chocolate coin every time she saw she saw Harry’s gold tooth!

Have a fun movie night, ya filthy animal! 

Print the Home Alone Interactive Movie Prompts below!

I have provided 3 different file types for you to choose from. 

Click here to download the PDF movie prompts.

Click here to download the Word doc movie prompts.

Click here to download the JPG movie prompts.

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One of our favorite holiday family traditions is driving around to look at Christmas lights in our area.

I made it even more fun by creating this printable scavenger hunt for my kids to check off different lights and decorations we see!

This new version is updated for 2023!

You can check out the original scavenger hunt printable from 2018 here.

Scroll down to see our Christmas lights adventures this year and to download and print your scavenger hunt. 

Our festive family loves the holidays.

Even with traveling, school, car troubles, being sick, and all the other things that happened this month we always make time for our time together making memories.

Our Christmas lights drive tradition is a good one! We fill a thermos with hot cocoa, order subs to go, and load up in the van with blankets and our scavenger hunt. 

Then we put on the Christmas music and drive around our town looking at all the Christmas decor and dancing lights!

We are lucky to live in an area with lots of holiday lights! I have found the best way to find the most festive areas is asking friends, coworkers, and searching social media! 

Most local dancing lights have their own pages and videos posted. 

We could watch them all night! I especially like the Grinch lights.

Another place to check for festive decor: downtown squares, city parks, and family farms! 

Of course, lights at stores and malls can count too! This was at our local Bass Pro Shops.

We go here every year for free Santa photos too.

You know we go all out at home too! 

My husband and kids love inflatables so we have a fun collection of those front and center.

Our last home in Missouri had a much bigger yard than our current house, so we were able to display my favorite sleigh and reindeer.

One day we have a goal to have dancing lights and a “Griswold” style house! (IYKYK)

Print the Christmas Scavenger Hunt below!

Click here to download the Christmas Lights and Decorations Scavenger Hunt here.

Have fun doing this scavenger hunt as a family and creating new Christmas memories!

The post Holiday Fun Printable – Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Perfect for your next movie night event, these free themed printables include a sign, tickets, and labels.

Use them to decorate for your movie party or use as tags for a movie screening themed gift!

These printables are perfect for a movie night screening party anytime!

You can make them themed like I did below for Halloween or simply do it for a family gathering or birthday party.

I have included one sheet with 4 printable small movie tickets and 4 tags you can use as party decor/food labels or attach to a movie night gift basket. 

Enjoy these fun props to make your movie night extra special!

Movie Night Gift Idea:

For this movie night gift I used two carriers.

One is a cardboard drink carrier. The other is a plastic caddy from the Dollar Tree.

They are perfect for loading with movie night treats and drinks and you can reuse them!

 I like individual ciders, bottled sodas, and hot cocoa packets.  

You have to add candy for movie night, right?

I always include a few movie theater sized chocolate treats and a pack of popcorn.

Another idea is to add comfy socks and something special for the specific person your gifting.

I added nail polish and little toys to ours!

Use the Movie Night printable tag and attach it to the carrier. I punched a hole at the top and tied on with ribbon. 

You can also add the tickets and movie night sign in the carrier for the person you are gifting to use for their movie night- 

and even add a DVD or movie rental coupon. 

And for Halloween we added a spider and vampire teeth too- extra decorations to go with the holiday or theme are always a cool touch.

If you use a cardboard carrier too you could also color or decorate it with stickers.  No matter what it will be a one of a kind gift!

So fun and easy- this really is a great gift for just about anyone! 

Also check out DIY Redbox Date Night In Gift Basket with Printable Card .

Print your Movie Night Signs and Labels below!

>> Print the 8×10 Movie Night Sign here. <<

>> Print the Tickets and Movie Night Tags (8) here. <<

The post Movie Night Printable Sign and Ticket Gift Tags appeared first on For the Love of Food.

We love visiting the pumpkin patch every fall. It’s one of our favorite family traditions!

This printable game is a fun activity for kids of all ages to do during your next visit to the farm or pumpkin patch. 

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” —L.M. Montgomery, “Anne of Green Gables”

This scavenger hunt is an easy activity to do with kids- from toddlers to teens.

We even printed them out and did the hunt as a party game for Ava’s recent birthday at the pumpkin patch.

All the kids got prizes for completing it! 

The birthday girl is 11 now!

The perfect pumpkins. I love this tradition!

Oh, the memories we make! Haha!

It’s not a trip to the farm until you get down and dirty in the corn hut!

Family time at the pumpkin patch is the best!

Print your scavenger hunt below.

Click here to download and print: Pumpkin Patch Scavenger Hunt<<

“I don’t see how a pumpkin patch could be more sincere than this one.” —It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

The post Fall Pumpkin Patch Scavenger Hunt – Free Printable! appeared first on For the Love of Food.

To start the new year off right, I made this printable Weekly Menu Planner to help stay motivated and plan ahead.

This reusable sheet takes the stress out of menu planning by helping you to organize daily meals and ingredients needed. 

No more wondering “What’s for dinner?” 

Scroll down to download your free printable.

Print out your copy of the menu planner.

You can choose to simply write on it and print a new one each week or do like I do a laminate it!

I use these laminate sheets (no laminator machine needed) and add a sheet to the front of my menu planner. Voila!

Now, I can write on it with dry erase markers and wipe off every week! 

Tip: You can laminate the back too and use it for your weekly grocery lists. Just add it to a binder or clipboard and take it to the store with you.

I love how simple to use this  planner is .

I hang mine on my fridge with a magnet and it’s a great motivator to plan and be organized with our at home family meals.

Print Your Menu Planner!

>>> Click here to download and print the Weekly Menu Planner. <<<

The post What’s For Dinner ? | Printable Weekly Menu Planner appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Happy New Year!

Let’s start the year off right with this fun and encouraging printable goal planner!

This planner has a variety of ‘things to do this year’ ideas for you to fill in the blank and set goals to achieve throughout the year. 

Have fun, try new things, and stay motivated!

Scroll down for the free printable.

Download your Goal Planner below!

>> Click here to download and print your New Year Goal Planner. <<

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Last year for New Year’s Eve in Missouri we had a snow day at home. To come up with a fun surprise for the kids I made this Hot Cocoa New Year’s Eve Countdown Board .

All ingredients, including the cute hot cocoa bomb snowmen, are from Aldi! It only took a few minutes to assemble and it turned out so cute!

This kid friendly treat doubles as a fun countdown activity to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home !

Check out the video below to see our countdown.

Print

Hot Cocoa New Year's Eve Countdown Board

Ingredients

• 2 hot chocolate bombs
• 3 cups popcorn I used bagged kettle corn
• chocolate covered pretzels I used 6 jumbo
• 1 large marshmallow pop
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• assorted chocolate candies and mints I like Andes Mints and Ferrero Rocher
• mugs of warm milk and spoons for serving

Instructions

• Start by covering the bottom of a large platter or tray with a mixture of popcorn and mini marshmallows.
• Now add your hot cocoa bombs on top in the center of the platter. I used 2 because I have 2 kids. You can adjust and add as many as you want!
• Now arrange remaining toppings like jumbo coated pretzels and assorted chocolates and mints all over.
• Finally add a jumbo marshmallow pop (or make your own with a jumbo marshmallow and a cake pop stick).
• For your countdown have the marshmallow positioned pointing towards the top (like a clock hand at 12).
• Serve with mugs of warm milk and spoons for mixing in the cocoa bombs and toppings and enjoy!

I found all these fun treats at Aldi. The snowman cocoa bombs are my favorite!

Ready for our “Noon Years Eve” afternoon countdown!

Happy New Year!

Be sure to watch our video above to see our countdown!

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